1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a loading apparatus in general, and more particularly to a loading floor for a vehicle.
2. Prior Art
Various pull-out loading floors and loading apparatuses are known from the state of the art. A pull-out loading surface for station wagons is known from DE-OS 23 02 972, wherein guide rails are provisioned on the loading surface of the vehicle. The pull-out loading surface is mounted on these guide rails and can be moved on the guide rails on rollers. The items to be loaded can then be set onto the pulled out loading surface and pushed into the loading area of the vehicle.
A loading apparatus for personal vehicles or transportation vehicles is known from DE 296 08 955 U1. This loading apparatus consists of a guide element that is mounted on the floor of the loading area of the vehicle. A movable loading plate is located on the guide element and can be moved from a transportation position inside the loading area into a loading or unloading position, in which the loading plate is located outside of the vehicle, behind the rear of the vehicle.
A loading apparatus on an automobile with a swinging rear hatch is known from DE 196 19 126 A1. Fastened guide rails that run along the length of the vehicle are provisioned on both sides of the floor of the rear loading area, which can be closed by the rear hatch of the vehicle, Loading requires that the rear hatch is moved to the back into a horizontal loading position along a lower axis that runs traverse to the vehicle.
A loading floor for the loading area of a vehicle is known from DE 197 49 158 C2. The loading floor is mounted on rollers so that it can be moved, and can be partially pulled out of the loading area approximately parallel to the vehicle. The loading floor exhibits a crumple zone, provisioned traverse to the length of the car, in order to improve crash behavior.
A pull-out loading floor for a vehicle is known from DE 197 31 324 A1, which can be moved by means of rollers along support rails. The support rails are connected to the vehicle body such that their height can be adjusted. The height adjustment occurs by means of two parallelogram steering devices, with the help of an adjustment cylinder.
A further loading floor is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,132,755, which can be pulled out of the loading area on guide rails approximately parallel to the vehicle floor.
Pull-out loading floors and loading apparatuses of the type mentioned allow for simplified loading and unloading of the vehicle by setting the freight on the rolling loading floor. A load placed onto the pulled out loading floor can be pushed, along with the loading floor, into the interior of the vehicle without requiring much force.
However, a common disadvantage of the previously known loading floors and loading apparatuses is that, due to the pull-out mechanism for the loading floor, a considerable amount of loading area is lost.